The Music box
by RiverSideOtter
Summary: A bunch of Kuro x Fai ficlets that are inspired by or based on songs I hear. Artists: Darren Hayes


_What is he playing at?_ Kurogane wondered to himself as he glared across the playground where the group had come to rest at, Fai had stirred up Sakura and Makona into having a picnic. The blonde was currently laughing inanely as he was pretending to be a monster and chased Makona and Sakura around the swings and slides. Kurogane snorted at him, for the past week Fai had been giving him the cold shoulder and Kurogane wasn't sure why, he had been pretty sure he hadn't said or done anything different from usual.  
"Kurogane-san?" Sayoran said his name tentatively, the ninja's face making the boy feel more uneasy than normal. Kurogane grunted in response, Sayoran had learnt enough to know that something on the tanned adult man mind when he refused to form a syllable.  
"Is something wrong?" Kurogane looked at Sayoran.  
"Tch" he stood up "this is just a waste of time" he turned and left the park heading back towards the apartment they had rented in this world, Sayoran looked confused he thought that he heard a hint of disappointment in his elders voice. He turned to gaze at his princes and her 'monster' they were running towards him"  
"Save me Sayoran-kun!" she laughed as she hid behind him Makona leaping to his shoulder, Sayoran made a dramatic pretence to defend Sakura pretending to hold a stick and slaying Fai, who dramatically fell to the ground feigning death. The children and Makona missed it but Fai face clouded for a second when he saw that Kurogane had walked off.

"I push and pull you!?" Fai snapped at Kurogane across the lounge room, Sakura and Sayoran had enrolled in a local school because they had been lead to believe that the 'haunted' school had a feather hidden in its legends. So at 10am Kurogane and Fai were the only ones in the apartment, the argument had been going for 10 minutes.  
"Humph, you're acting like I'm making this up. Teasing me and using those stupid-arse nicknames on me one second, then doing your best to ignore me the next. If that's not pushing and pulling at me then what is?" Kurogane sat at the kitchen table with his arms crossed refusing to look at the blonde whose icy blue eyes trying to stab at him.  
"You're one to talk you sad excuse for an imperial guardian!" Kurogane shot him a dangerous look "You stand around ignoring me! I might give you nice names, you don't even use MY name… you act like you own me yelling at me like you do!" Fed up with their argument Fai threw a remote control at Kurogane's head, and then ran to the door opening it to walk out of it defiantly, he could hear Kurogane stand up and put the remote on the table. He waited a moment to see if Kurogane would stop him, but he only felt his red eyes watching Fai's back so Fai squeezed his eyes shut holding his pride firm and walked out of the door and closed it behind him and walked towards the stairwell where he stood for five minutes when no one came he slid down against the wall wiping at a tear.

_Does he love me?_ Fai had asked himself this question many times on many worlds, ever since Yama his relationship with the tall dark and imposing ninja had been a tentative case of off again on again. Since first meeting Kurogane Fai had sworn to himself not to get involved with his brooding companion, but in the end…maybe this was hitsuzen, he was sure if he asked the Dimension Witch about it she would probably give a vague answer that wouldn't answer anything; he had nothing left to give her to get a straight answer. Fai rolled over in the bed, glancing at the door wondering if Kurogane was planning on staying on the couch till he remembered that they were in the middle of the fight, Fai would be alone tonight, and he sighed and let himself fall to sleep remembering moments of bliss shared between two people.  
Kurogane was also remembering intimate times, and not so intimate times; he knew that there were times that Fai put Kurogane's honour on the line which he couldn't stand, nor could he stand the constant mind games. He did care about Fai, not that he'd ever say it but he was starting to realise the way he was treating the mage wasn't working, he'd have to modify his plans on how to treat people… otherwise Fai would leave him, he knew that much at least. You couldn't contain Fai if he didn't want you too.

Their fight had soon petered out they had found the feather and moved on to the next world, both of them still being stubborn about the other but to reluctant to really do anything more than yell at each other then make up again.

Two worlds after that lead to a fresh argument with harsher words all of them from Fai. Kurogane's domineering nature was getting to him, reminding him of the King he ran from.  
"You keep acting like you own me! Always bossing me around, I'm not some animal that needs to be controlled!" Kurogane sat there saying nothing his face impassive which only fuelled the thin man further.  
"You keep claiming how you don't like me, you hate being around me, that you never want me back!" Fai faltered for a second at his own words; he ran his fingers through his hair as if at a loss "well that part might be a fact… but Kuro-sama you need to think about what is going on here" Kurogane's face continued to be impassive till took a large hand and covered his eyes to rub at them, he ran the hand down his face and held his chin.  
"You aren't innocent in all this either" Kurogane's voice rumbled trying hard not to lose his fragile temper, Fai's face darkened for a moment then he looked away slightly.  
"And. What may I ask is that supposed to mean?" venom dripped from his words  
"Exactly what it sounds like. You wear your smiles like a mask, I never know what you're doing, and I know that the waves are more predictable than you are" Kurogane's temper was slowly tearing "Ever time I think I've actually found you behind all of your god damned walls I find out that there is yet another friggen wall! I want _you_ with me Fai" Kurogane slammed his hands on the table Fai tensed slightly.  
"Well maybe I don't want you finding your way past my walls." Fai was fighting back tears he was so angry, his voice was as loud as he could currently make it "Maybe I don't want to be with you, maybe I want you gone!" Kurogane stood up suddenly, Fai took a step back, the look on the face before him was quite readable, Fai just realised he had gone too far.  
"Well maybe… I'm sick of holding on Fai" His eyes were shadowed over and he left the house with out another word. On the other side of the door were Sayoran, Sakura and Makona. They had heard the argument on their way to the door after they had gone out shopping for dinner, none of them had dared to enter the house till the fight ended. Sakura and Makona jumped as Kurogane gently closed the door with him on the other side of it, Sayoran was about to say something to Kurogane but stopped, he glanced at them all and walked off breathing a pained sigh. The three watched him till he was out of sight the looked on his face worried them, but if he was like that, then Fai…  
They entered the house quietly; they heard the scuffing of feet and the banging about with pans, Sakura was the first to enter the kitchen followed closely by Sayoran and Makona.  
"U-Um…Fai-san?" She asked timidly, He turned around and beamed at her.  
"Yes Sakura-chan?" The corners of his eyes were damp and pink.  
"Is…Is everything okay? You and Kurogane-san seemed awfully angry at each other"  
"No, no, no! Kuro-puppy and I were just teasing each other" he paused for a fraction of a moment "Oh! You brought the groceries! Fantastic now I can start cooking, right you three scoot and get cleaned up I'll have dinner ready in an hour" he smiled reassuringly at them and ushered them out of the kitchen closing the door behind them. He turned and lent on the door hugging him self to guard against the cold that wasn't real.  
"You… Fool" He slid down the door crying in silence.


End file.
